中國大陸短影音著作侵權及合理使用

Abstract

短影音具有製作門檻低、傳播速度快、社交互動性強等特徵，已成為當代網路文化與平台經濟的重要內容載體。然而，短影音創作頻繁引發重製權、改作權、資訊網路傳播權及相關鄰接權之侵害爭議。因此，本文以中國大陸短影音著作侵權及合理使用問題為研究核心，旨在探討現行合理使用制度得否回應新型數位創作、平衡著作權人利益與公眾利益之須求，司法實踐，與其是否切實實現更開放審查之修法目的。 研究方法上，首先採文獻分析法，探討著作侵權判斷標準、合理使用理論基礎、三步測試原則及轉化性使用理論之內涵。其次，再透過案例研究與類型化分析，分析短影音常見利用與侵權態樣。最後，本文選取2021年至2025年間中國大陸短影音著作侵權及合理使用相關民事判決共73件，進行量化與質性分析，以觀察並評析司法實務之整體運作樣態。 現行中國大陸合理使用法規，仍存在立法設計上之局限性，面對新興短影音創作現況保護顯有不足之疑慮，而實務中法院於短影音合理使用案件中也呈現程序面逐漸開放但結果仍注重著作權人保護，核心影響因素論述不足，法律解釋與適用上目前難有盡如人意之結果。 本文認為，短影音合理使用制度之完善，應同時從立法與司法層面尋求突破。制度上應優化《著作權法》第二十四條規定之結構，強化開放式一般條款功能，調整三步測試原則之規範地位並將轉化性使用納入「正常利用」與「合法利益損害」之判斷。司法實踐中，則應建立短影音利用行為之類型化審查框架，以期明確市場影響之證據審查標準，藉以建立可預期、可理解且可操作之推理結構，且實現著作權保護、文化創新與公眾利益之動態平衡。

Short-form videos, characterized by low production thresholds, rapid dissemination, and strong social interactivity, have become an important medium of contemporary online culture and the platform economy. However, the creation and circulation of short-form videos frequently give rise to copyright disputes involving the rights of reproduction, adaptation, communication through information networks, and related neighboring rights. Against this background, this thesis focuses on copyright infringement and fair use in short-form video content utilization in Mainland China. It seeks to examine whether the current fair use regime is capable of responding to new forms of digital creation and balancing the interests of copyright holders with the public interest, as well as whether judicial practice has effectively realized the legislative objective of introducing a more open mode of review. Methodologically, this thesis first adopts doctrinal and literature analysis to examine the legal standards for copyright infringement, the theoretical foundations of fair use, the three-step test, and the doctrine of transformative use. It then employs case analysis and typological analysis to identify the major forms of copyright infringement commonly found in short-form video practices. Finally, this thesis selects seventy-three civil judgments concerning short-form video copyright infringement and fair use in Mainland China from 2021 to 2025, and conducts both quantitative and qualitative analyses of judicial reasoning in order to observe the overall operation of judicial practice. The findings indicate that the Fair Use Doctrine in Mainland China remain constrained by structural limitations in legislative design and provide insufficient protection for emerging forms of short-form video creation. In judicial practice, courts also display an unsatisfactory pattern characterized by procedural openness but substantive closure. Although courts may employ more open analytical tools in certain cases, their reasoning on core factors remains relatively underdeveloped and often fails to produce a genuinely flexible assessment. This thesis argues that the improvement of the fair use regime for short-form videos requires reform at both the legislative and judicial levels. At the legislative level, the normative structure of Article 24 of the Copyright Law should be optimized by strengthening the function of an open-ended general clause, adjusting the normative status of the three-step test, and incorporating transformative use into the assessment of “normal exploitation” and “unreasonable prejudice to legitimate interests.” At the judicial level, courts should establish a typological review framework for different forms of short-form video use and clarify the evidentiary standards for assessing market impact. Through these reforms, a more predictable, comprehensible, and comparable structure of legal reasoning may be established, ultimately achieving a dynamic balance among copyright protection, cultural innovation, and the public interest.